Real Estate Blog - Buying

Buying During A Pandemic

Coronavirus has completed changed the way our lives look. Words we used to only hear in disaster movies--ones such as herd immunity, social distancing, pandemic, isolation, etc.--have become a regular addition to our vernacular. Suddenly simple things like going to the grocery store or planning for school in the fall takes extra steps to thoughtfully plan through. COVID-19 has touched every aspect of our lives, including real estate.

When the world seemed to shut down back in March, real estate in Calgary, Alberta took a major hit. It was as if everyone held their collective breath, stopped in their tracks. Homes weren't selling and buyer's weren't buying. Plans to enter the real estate sector as a buyer, seller or investor were stopped short with…

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The Positives & Negatives of Downsizing

The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines downsizing as "undergoing a reduction in size." Downsizing is sometimes used as a negative--a company may let go employees when forced to downsize due to a bad bottom line--but sometimes used as a positive--like when we clear out the clutter in our life. There are also positives and negatives when it comes to downsizing our home.

Buying a smaller home can be as liberating as it is hard work. However, if it is what is best for you and your family, it is worth it. If you are contemplating downsizing to a smaller home, make sure you think through the following carefully.

Positives to Downsizing:

• Home maintenance ease (both indoors and outdoors).
• Fewer Home Expenses
• Investment Diversification &…

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Out Of Country Buyers

Congratulations! You have made the best decision you will make in this lifetime: deciding to move to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We may be a little biased as lifelong residents, but data is not biased, and data consistently ranks Calgary as one of the most livable cities in the World. In 2019 it was awarded the 5th most livable city in the world! We are so proud of our home-sweet-home. 

Calgary has so much to offer that we could never fit it all into one list--but we tried. You can view it here. Here is a short summary:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada is perfectly nestled into the foothills, with prairies to the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west... Calgary is made up of 15 municipalities and has a metro population of 1.2 million people...…

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Tiny Home Living

The Tiny House movement has swept across Canada with more and more people, of all ages, turning to tiny living as a more affordable, sustainable housing option. There are many pros and cons to owning a tiny home, so Apartment Therapy spoke with a number of experts on the functionality, longevity and psychology behind them. Here are some of the highlights from their research:

• "Tiny houses represent affordable luxury. One of today’s status symbols is the ability to have something special and unique, and not cookie-cutter like everyone else. Tiny houses fit snugly into this trend. They have a wow factor that even a McMansion can’t provide.” - Daniel Levine, Director of the Avant-Guide Institute and trends expert.
• "The idea of living with only…

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Advantages Of New Homes & Infills

The end of the year is quickly approaching with December just around the corner. While the real estate market is most active during the summer, now is the time you should really be buying.

There are a lot of advantages to purchasing a home before the new year, specifically if that home is new. Whether it is a new home in a developing community or an infill home, closing the deal by December 31st is a great way to leverage your home buying experience to work in your favour.

Buying a new home is a very attractive option for many individuals. There are so many bonuses to buying new, such as the following:

• When you buy brand new you are able to work with the property’s building designer to pick wall colours, specific design ideas and all other…

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The Different Types of Homes

Every person is different; and so are their homes.

With many different types of homes to choose from, you have every opportunity to find your perfect match. Homeownership.ca lists the different kinds of homes available to buyers with helpful definitions that clarify exactly what makes each unique. Read these definitions below, and follow the links to some current listings we have that match each home type:

Condominiums: "While condominiums are generally found in apartment buildings, other types of properties, for example, townhouses, may also have a condo ownership model. You own the unit, or 'condo', but you do not own the land it is built on or any common space outside your unit. You are charged monthly 'condo fees' to maintain indoor and…

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The 5 Year Rule

Congratulations on your new home! The closing negotiations are finished, the keys are yours, the boxes are unpacked, and your name is now proudly displayed on the mailbox. Buying a home is a major milestone in a person's life, we are so happy for you. You have worked hard to get to this moment, so make sure you celebrate. If you worked with us, thank you for being one of our valued clients! We look forward to a long-lasting professional relationship with you.

As you get more settled on your new turf, you are going to start feeling one of two ways. First, you may understand, potentially for the first time ever, the age-old adage of 'home sweet home.' You will be able to breathe easy knowing this is where you have landed, looking forward to many, many…

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Interested in Refinancing Your Home?

One of the biggest expenses any homeowner has to deal with for an extended period of time is paying off a mortgage. In fact, it's typically one of the longest payments on any one thing that a person will make in their lifetime. 

A mortgage is money that you, a creditor, must repay a debtor within a certain amount of time. Most homeowners take out a mortgage in order to purchase a home, since most people cannot buy a home outright. This mortgage will have interest rates added to it, which are often the most difficult part to pay off as they continue to grow and grow. A mortgage is a very daunting thing for homeowners to have looming over them, but luckily it is not always fixed.

Have you ever heard of refinancing? When interest rates are low, some…

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Community Associations

As we have said time and time again, one of the best parts of being a Calgary resident is the sense of community that is available to every single individual. Calgary consists of a collection of communities that are inclusive and actively seeking to make every Calgarians experience in this amazing city the best it can possiblely be. After all, it’s not only the property that makes a home: it is the community.

Here at Team Ken Richter we have the pleasure of working with communities all over the city. However, we have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work most closely with the communities of Montgomery and Bowness. Both are rich with history. This history is filled with one overarching theme that the first ever residents and present…

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Foreclosure: What it Is & How to Avoid It

Foreclosure. 

This daunting word haunts our television screens as we watch fictional, and sometimes real, people face losing everything. All of the love and care they put into making their house a home was for naught; now the bank owns it and they have to be gone by Monday. We feel sick hearing that word because everyone knows that foreclosure is not something you ever want to experience. So, what is it and how can you avoid it?

Foreclosure is when a homeowner loses ownership of their property to the bank. It's not that the bank ever owned the home, but when you can't pay back the bank, they take your assets. Typically foreclosure happens because homeowners have failed to pay monies owed on debts, particularly a mortgage. As you can see from the…

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